Bad Guys Need Lovin' Too
by NarcissisticRiceBall
Summary: A series of drabbles, oneshots or whatever written on Kyuzo and his time spent with Ayamaro. I just like all those bad guys for some reason. Ranges from serious, to humorous, to just plain weird. Ch.11 Lollipop
1. Meditation

**A/N:** Hello there! Yes, well, these are random oneshots, drabbles, whatever...of which i just figured outwhat the difference was between them all. Yes, I know, I'm quite slow at some things. Anyways, I've been wanting to do this for a long time now, and I finally had the motivation adn guts to do it. Frankly, I love the bad guys in Samurai 7 and of course, that means Kyuzo is going to be in most of them if not all. The genre ranges from serious, to humorous, to pure crack and any other thing I can think of. So here is the first little story. Hope you all enjoy!

I don't own Samurai 7

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Tranquil silence echoed throughout the spacious room while the outside, the faintest noises of birds chirping, and koi splashing in the pond created a serene atmosphere ideal for meditation.

Kyuzo quietly stepped into the room and kneeled in front of a fairly large shrine. He carefully lit a pair of incense and placed them gently into their golden tray. Taking a deep breath, the fair-haired samurai closed his eyes and cleared his mind.

The day had been slightly stressful due to the endless menial tasks that were often a result of the young master's whims. If there were things he could not stand, it was his lord's son. The young merchant grated on his nerves endlessly. Ukyo had no care for samurai and being the person he is, never bothered to keep it to himself. He felt the need to mention it as often as he could. Kyuzo held a theory that the boy just did not like him as Ukyo expressed this opinion more often when he knew Kyuzo was around.

Taking another deep breath, Kyuzo pushed aside such thoughts and began to generally think about nothing. If there was one moment in the day he could appreciate, it was when he meditated. Nobody, not even Ukyo, managed to bother him here.

And so, he meditated as the day wore on, oblivious to the outside world. So into his meditation, he did not even hear the conversations about him from the other side of the wall.

"Is he still at it? Doesn't he ever call it quits?"

"It is common practice for samurai to meditate. It hones one's senses and clears the mind so one can be at his peak in battle."

"So, how come you don't do it, Hyogo?"

The voice had an almost mocking tone to it. Hyogo deftly whipped out his sword and whacked the other on the head. There was a slight metallic ring when tehhilt came in contact with the metal plating.

"I do, dimwit. Just not as much as Kyuzo-dono…I don't think anybody does it for as long as him though."

The other one ruefully rubbed his metal, dome shaped head. He carefully slid the door open and his single mechanical eye focused in and out until it received a clear image of the samurai.

Kyuzo was sitting completely still. There was no hint of any movement except the steady rising and falling of his chest that indicated he was still breathing. As he stared at the silent samurai, the one guard slowly reached his arm in. Now, for most, it would be impossible to do anything, but for this one, his mechanical arms extended quite a ways. As he slowly and as quietly as he could, he began gradually extending his arm. Not even a quarter distance in the room, he was roughly yanked back. Hyogo managed to grab the other's arm and pull him back before anything might happen and Kyuzo were knocked out of his meditation. He could care less about what happened to the guard, he just did not want to deal with a grumpy, angry, or potentially dangerous Kyuzo.

"Are you trying to die?"

He growled quietly and menacingly. Keeping a firm hold on the other one's neck scarf, Hyogo gently slid the door shut and dragged him down the hallway. He decided it was best that Kyuzo remained undisturbed unless, of course, their was an emergency, and let him do as he pleased.

"Seriously…How does he manage to stay like that for so long?"

Hyogo shook his head and continued to drag the perplexed warrior away from the room.

Yes, it was peaceful and tranquil in the room. Kyuzo was so at peace, he heard none of what occurred. However many people questioned how he could meditate for so long, they never seemed to notice how his head slightly drooped down and to the side and the soft, heavy breathing bordering onto a faint snore.

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**A/N:** So what did you think? Weird, I know. But I am quite a bit off as well. Oh well, I had fun writing it. I also look at it because it's a good stress reliever. I have so much schoolwork that I only have about an hour or so where I can just goof off. Well, technically, I could have more time, but I don't like doing homework and studying for tests late at night. So, instead, before I go to bed, I write things. Which is actually why this and some of the others might be a little weird. I'm tired, and I'm about ready to go to bed, and my mind is in weird places. All in all, I don't have a good point. So, I just hope you all enjoyed it!

On a side note: I was referring to the one baddie who has those long metal arms things and a wok for a helmet. I realize that they are given some sort of identification, but I thought it sounded really stupid if i called him "so-and-so" man. I have ideas for better names, but if anybody has ideas, or comments, or actually has away fo knowing their names, if they have any, please let me know. Thanks so very much!


	2. Spin

**A/N:** Okey-dokey, here we go again. This is kinda weird, but I had fun. the character designs in Samurai 7 are cool and all, but...some of the bad guys in the beginning, are just kind of weird looking. If you notice, I tend to lean more towards Tessai, Hyogo, the guy with magenta hair and shoots needles out of his arm, the guy with a colander for a helmet, and of course, Kyuzo. There will also be many times the gang that attacks Katsushiro, Kirara, and Kikuchiyo in the beginning will appear a lot too. Anyways, on with the fun weirdness!

I don't own Samurai 7

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"Do you think it would work?"

"I don't see why not. Let's try."

"No! I will not allow it, fools."

All of Ayamaro's guards and assassins were lounging in a commons room where they were idly chatting about one of their fellow men. He used his long, extendable arms to swat away anybody who would try anything. His single mechanical eye scanned the area for any possible threats.

"C'mon. Don't you want to know too? What could it hurt?"

The one assassin that spoke idly twirled a sharp acupuncture needle that normally would have been in his prosthetic arm. His magenta hair fell around his shoulders sloppily.

"Can it, bandage boy!"

"I'm not the one that looks like a can."

"Both of you stop it this instant."

They paused in their argument at the voice of another. It was Tessai, one of the most loyal guards in Ayamaro's service. He was currently sitting lazily in the corner becoming gradually annoyed at their antics.

"This is unprofessional. Act your age."

"Who made you our boss, Tubby-dono?"

Tessai almost spit out his corncob pipe when he heard the insult. He was not fat, he was just stocky, that's all.

The others in the room began laughing at the now low self-esteemed Tessai. He fumed quietly in the corner.

"Anyways, c'mon. Don't make us use force."

"Ha, as if you could. I've got my eyes on you."

"Don't you mean eye?"

While the odd metallic helmet covered most of his face, it was clear that there was a slight tinge of pink in his cheeks.

"Silence, wretch. I could kill you in an instant."

"Oh, let's see you try it."

They both got into fighting positions. The assassin with magenta hair extended his palm at the other. At his command, the wrist and forearm opened up to reveal a small needle gun. The other one, smirked as he prepared to attack with his long metallic arms and his eye focused in and out on his opponent. They would have struck each other down, but were interrupted by the door forcefully being slid open.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Hyogo-dono!"

They looked at the glaring man before them. He glared menacingly at each one.

"Explain yourselves."

He looked over at the corner where Tessai was facing the wall and mumbling incoherently about something and his weight. The others shifted around as the assassin with magenta hair spoke up.

"We were trying to see if he would spin."

"Come again?"

Hyogo did not believe what he just heard. How could grown warriors, many who were samurai, waste their time trying to figure out if one of their comrades could spin.

"We wanted to see if he would spin like a top."

He had to contain a chuckle as he imagined the other assassin on his head like a top. It was a legitimate question as his headgear did resemble an upside down top.

"Regardless, this immaturity is…Kyuzo-dono?"

He paused mid-sentence when the silent samurai strode past him and stood next to the assassin. While he was normally confident with anybody else, whenever Kyuzo stared him down, he lost all nerve.

"W-what is it…K-Kyuzo-dono?"

Everybody gasped at the next action. In a flash, quicker than the eye could see, Kyuzo managed to grab the dome-headed assassin and dexterously turn him upside down. The silent samurai balanced the poor assassin's head ont eh floor and then spun him as hard as he could.

They watched in wonder as he indeed spun around like a top. Unfortunately, he did not seem to have any control and was soon spinning across the room. With full spinning force, he broke through the paper door leading to the garden and spun right out of the room. The room was silent and the only noise later was the sound of screaming and a loud crashing noise.

All the guards and assassins watched Kyuzo. The fair-haired samurai blinked twice before turning on his heel and promptly leaving the room leaving behind many confused and disturbed individuals.

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**A/N:** Seriously, I did wonder this at some random point when I was watching the show. Would he spin like a top? I don't know, I use fanfiction to express my thoughts since nobody I know who likes anime actually likes Samurai 7. So I have nobody to talk to. That means you lovely people get to read about my odd thoughts and opinions. Again, sorry if the no names confuses you. I just don't know what I should call them. I have names lined up for next time unless somebody has a better suggestion. Thanks again for reading!


	3. Purpose

**A/N:** Alrighty, an update! I actually have a few of them planned out or at least, I have the theme. I was just deciding what to do first. This one won because...I'm not sure. I just got this on a whim and decided to write it up before I really got started on homework. Just another odd, random little story of joy.

I don't own S7.

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The large room was, for once, silent. Many of Ayamaro's bodyguards and assassins were lounging around enjoying the break from their work. Tessai was particularly happy today as he had the day off from babysitting the magistrate's son.

He sat calmly alongside Hyogo as they sipped their tea. He savored the crisp flavor and relished the time he had lounging instead of running across Kougakyo for anything that wore makeup and had a pulse. He was positive that Ukyo would fall for a plant should it be wearing a dress and had some makeup. Tessai had often been to Ukyo's harem and seen some of the women. While he was not overly picky about the opposite sex, anybody with half their vision would wonder how some of them make it into his good graces.

"How do you think Kyuzo-dono is doing?"

Hyogo was staring out the window staring at the road below. Unfortunately for the silent samurai, somebody had to watch over Ukyo and since Tessai had a break, that left Kyuzo to step in. Hyogo silently thanked the heavens that he had been kept at the palace so as to guard Ayamaro. However, he was sympathetic to the blond samurai's situation.

"You mean, how is the young master doing?"

The other samurai nodded his head in agreement. It was a known fact that Ukyo did not care for samurai and that the true samurai left did not care for Ukyo. Kyuzo happened to fit the samurai description. So, it stood to reason that they did not like each other. They both hoped that Kyuzo would not return with a dead Ukyo and say there was an "unfortunate" accident. Fortunately for them and Ukyo, that would violate the code of honor and therefore, they felt fairly confident that Kyuzo would uphold the code. Then again, one can never know for sure in such changing times.

"GYAAAA!"

Any semblance of peace that once existed was now shattered by a loud cry of frustration that was definitely from the young merchant. The two samurai stared at each other a few moments and counted down to when the room would be interrupted. Sure enough, right on the mark, the door to the room slid open and a furious Ukyo stepped inside.

"This is an outrage! I order you to do something!"

With their great samurai skills, the two managed to remain calm and composed as they inquired as to what the young master was demanding.

"Kyuzo!"

Silently slipping into the room was none other than the silent samurai. He stood calmly to the side with the same blank, unreadable expression. Tessai prayed that whatever Kyuzo managed to do, it was nothing serious. He calmly stood up and approached the fuming Ukyo.

"What did he do exactly?"

Leave it to Tessai to be the patient one. That was probably why he was usually around Ukyo the most. He actually seemed to be able to put up with him the longest.

"What did he do? _What_ did he do? I'll tell you what he did!"

_FLASHBACK_

"_What a pleasant day, don't you think, Kyuzo?"_

_The young merchant was ginning lazily as they rode a carriage through the city. Kyuzo remained silent and alert and pretty much attempted to ignore anything coming out of the Ukyo's mouth. _

"_What's the matter? Not happy unless you get to swing that little sword around?"_

_Kyuzo kept his cool even though he grew a sudden desire to use that "little sword" to end the source of his misery. He pretended not to hear as his eyes flicked across the scenery._

"_Stop!"_

_The carriage came to a sudden halt and from instinct Kyuzo tensed and readied himself. He quickly surveyed the area and could detect nothing hostile. Something else must have gotten his young master's attention. And he was right. _

"_You there, Miss?"_

_Ukyo gracefully hopped down from the carriage and grabbed something next to Kyuzo. It was an extravagant bouquet of flowers. The samurai followed a short distance behind and took the time to study the desired object._

_It was a young, petite woman dressed in humble clothing. From the looks of things, she was probably from some small village and was searching the city for a place to sell whatever the village created. _

"_I couldn't help but notice that you were all alone out here. The place can be so dangerous. How is it a beautiful flower such as yourself is in this field of weeds?"_

_Weeds? That was a new one. Kyuzo silently kept track of all the one-liners Ukyo used to seduce the female kind. Granted, they did not vary so much, but they were always phrased just a little differently. Weeds were definitely one of the more entertaining ones. He sometimes wondered if the young master was smoking weed. He wouldn't have put it past him. Maybe he got it from Tessai? That man was always smoking something with his Frosty the Snowman pipe. Kyuzo concluded that Tessai smoked weed and that's why he could stand to be around the eccentric young merchant. If he began to do this regularly, he might have to consider smoking some as well._

"_Oh my, I better go…I have…uh…things I need to get done…"_

_The young woman attempted to get away from Ukyo, but being a persistent S.O.B., he had no intention of not getting what he wanted. _

"_Surely these things can wait? I'm just so captivated by your shimmering eyes."_

_Kyuzo thought her eyes looked more like mud than anything else, but then again, poetics was not his thing._

"_There's no need to rush, for you see, I have a proposition for you."_

"_I-I'm really sorry, but…I don't have time to clown…I mean mess around…"_

_A ghost of a smirk graced Kyuzo's solemn features. He wondered if Ukyo caught what she just said. It was obvious she realized it too and caught herself. As Kyuzo continued to study her, he noticed that she kept staring at Ukyo, not because his eyes captivated her. No, she was captivated with his makeup job. Sure, all the great nobles wore traditional makeup, but that did not mean they did not look like clowns, Ukyo especially. _

_Ukyo, self-absorbed as he was, failed to notice the odd connection his target was making. However, he did notice when she seemed to shift her attention from him to something else, or rather, somebody else. He glanced over his shoulder to see who was behind him. He about blanched when he had forgotten Kyuzo was right behind. _

"_A-as I was saying, I have a proposition."_

"_Uh-huh…"_

_She answered, but did not make eye contact with him. She continued to stare at the crimson samurai a short distance away. _

_Said crimson samurai either didn't notice or noticed and chose to remain oblivious. He just stared off into the distance._

_The young woman sighed as she continued to admire the scenery. The fair haired samurai shifted his gaze so his crimson irises were trained gently on the female. A slight breeze ruffled his hair and he moved his hand to brush the strands of hair from his face. As he did, he lightly flipped his hair and went back to staring off into the horizon._

"_-Oin me at the palace…Miss?"_

_He tapped her shoulder causing her to snap out of her reverie and bring her attention to the clown claiming to be male. Still slightly lost in her own world she just nodded and then glanced over Ukyo's shoulder again._

"_As long as he's around, I'll go with you anywhere."_

_Were it not for his incredible self-control, Kyuzo would have broke into hysterical laughter right then. Ukyo contained his surprise and anger as he smiled and began walking off. _

"_Well, I suppose I better let you get back to your chores. Driver, let's go."_

_He climbed back into the carriage followed shortly after by an impassive Kyuzo. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"I see. Milord, I'm sure Kyuzo-dono had no ill intent…"

He wondered if he was lying between his buckteeth right this minute. It was impossible to tell with Kyuzo.

"No. I'm positive. You did that on purpose!"

Ukyo pointed accusingly at Kyuzo who remained as emotionless as before. The young merchant stomped out of the room and snapped his fingers.

"That's it. I'm never bringing Kyuzo along anywhere ever again! Tessai, you will accompany me. Hmph, no girls will be attracted to you."

Tessai began to weep internally. Not just from the comment, even though the comment made him very sad, but the fact that he was now pretty much stuck with him from now on destroyed his peaceful afternoon.

Ukyo stomped out of the room followed by a now depressed Tessai. After he was sure they were far gone down the hallway, Hyogo turned to face Kyuzo who calmly walked over to where Tessai had been sitting and sat down. The other samurai poured him a glass of tea. They sat there in companionable silence sipping their tea. For Hyogo, the situation pretty much remained the same. However, there was a question nagging at the back of his mind.

"Kyuzo-dono…Did you really do that on purpose?"

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**A/N:** How was it? Odd, yes, but I had fun nonetheless. I just thougth it would be funny if Kyuzo had to go around with Ukyo as well because he seems to be the one girls flock around...At least in the fandom world...I suppose I'm included in that...Oh well, I just love Kyuzo and his deadpan personality. Makes you wonder what he's thinking most of the time. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!...Btw, does anybody else think Tessai's pipe looks like a corncob pipe you see Frosty with?


	4. Crane

**A/N:** And here is one that is actually serious. I struggled to keep it that way...I just have a really ironic sense of humor and it's hard for me to not put it in. Anyways, this is kind of related to The Sword of the Soul by Samuraiko. It's a really good story if you haven't read it already. Well, there's a character in it named Nasami. This is referencing to her.

So, big thanks goes to Samuraiko for one: creating a great story and character, and two: letting me use said character. I had this written for a little while, but forgot about it until today when I was killing time and scanning through fanfics. Well, this just opened a whole bunch of doors for this series so, she'll pop up once and while. So, I hope you all enjoy!

I don't own Samurai 7

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"The nerve…"

Kyuzo didn't have to look up to know who it was. He was sitting by the edge of one of the many ponds in the palace. He favored this one the most. It was not as lavish as the others, and certainly not as large, but it was peaceful and untouched by the pollution of the merchants. The silent samurai turned his gaze to his companion.

Hyogo was pacing around in frustration. His pale face was strained from his effeort to keep his emotions in check. Kyuzo continued to stare at him as he paced.

"That woman…"

Woman? Kyuzo wondered what just happened that involved a woman and Hyogo that would cause the samurai to be in such a rage. He hoped it wasn't "girl trouble." If it were, he would commit hara-kiri right then and there. However, he had a feeling it was something so much deeper. He didn't need to say anything. He didn't want to say anything.

"Kyuzo-dono."

He nodded his head once to indicate that he acknowledged him. Hyogo took a deep breath and took a seat next to the blond samurai.

"Today's events lead me to believe troubling times are ahead."

That answered nothing. Kyuzo sat patiently waiting for more. There had been word around the palace of a gathering of samurai, but he wondered why the concern.

"I will get my revenge for what happened."

So, that samurai he fought today was the real reason behind his fury. Kyuzo had heard from the assassins in Ayamaro's keep that Hyogo attempted to take whatever girl Ukyo had his eyes on and wound up retreating due to a samurai guarding the girl. There was also word that said samurai was a woman. He did not find a female samurai all that odd, but one that was able to irk Hyogo this much, deserved special notice. As he listened longer, a growing excitement began to grow inside him.

"Kyuzo-dono, we must remain alert now. Not only does the young lord still seek out that farm girl, but it appears she and the other peasants with her are under the protection of skilled samurai."

Now things were getting interesting. From the sound of things, these people sounded as though they were true samurai. While there were many in the city that claimed such a title, few would actually be able to say they have remained true. Kyuzo desired to meet such individuals in battle. For too long had he served under those who saw the samurai as just a commodity. Even those working beside him were deemed unworthy of his attention. He could tell that once, perhaps Hyogo was a samurai, but now, he had lost sight of what it meant to be a samurai and would be lost to it.

"We will be ordered to move soon. The woman…Leave her to me."

Kyuzo said nothing but slightly tilted his head. By now, it was obvious that Hyogo knew this upstart samuraiko, but the silent samurai could offer no guarantee that he would remain idle. Besides, this woman might be the type of person he had been seeking. He began to wonder who it was. From what little he knew about Hyogo's past, Kyuzo came up with a name, and it was absolutely thrilling.

"There are reports that there are five samurai among them. Of which, only three seem particularly skilled."

While he remained neutral on the outside, on the inside, the fair-haired assassin grew more excited by the moment. Perhaps now there would be that challenge he had been seeking. The age of the samurai was ending, and now was the time to live it for all its worth.

Hyogo grew silent after that and both sat in pure silence. Kyuzo turned his gaze back to the small pond and the sparkling koi swimming. The silence was interrupted when a palace messenger scurried over and bowed on the ground.

"The magistrate has requested both your presences."

After making a deep bow, the messenger stood up and scuffled off to wherever his next message took him. Hyogo sighed and flipped a chunk of hair over his shoulder as he stood up. Carefully tucking his sword in his belt he dusted off his clothing and began walking towards the main audience chamber.

Moving at a slower pace, Kyuzo also stood up, but not before staring at the scenery before him again. The perfectly manicured garden and pond remained picture perfect. As he was straightening his jacket, Kyuzo felt a soft breeze blow. The wind made soft ripples in the water and the greenery to shift back and forth. While walking away, he heard another noise.

Looking back at the pond, he saw a solitary bird standing on one of the rocks in the pond. It was a single, pure white crane. Kyuzo looked around. It was not the season for such birds to be in this region. That made the landscape all the more rare. He stared silently at the bird as it stood peacefully in the middle of the pond. Now, in Kyuzo's opinion, the scenery was perfect. The simple beauty of this small garden was far beyond the grandest gardens of even the capital.

The crane continued to stand proud on the rock as the breeze ruffled its feathers ever so lightly. Kyuzo stared at it for a moment longer before tearing his gaze away from it and answering his master's call. As he walked down the hallway, a ghost of a smirk graced his stoic features as he still saw the white crane in hi mind's eye. Now he was positive. Hyogo was right, troubling times are ahead. Just as the breeze would soon turn into a gust and then a storm, so too would today's events lead to something larger. However, Kyuzo remembered the white crane standing strong in the middle of the pond and knew that it would be worth it. For now, it was time for him to meet the crane and fulfill his life's purpose and desire.

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**A/N:** So, what did you think? I enjoyed writing it. The concept of cranes and symbolism and all that junk is just too cool. Anyhoo, teh whole crane inteh garden pond thing was actually inspired by a real picture I took in Japan. I was at...some famous temple that I forgot the name...and we were walking around the garden area. It had a large pond in it and as I looked around, I saw a single crane sitting on this rock in the middle of the pond. It was really pretty looking, the bird and the scenery, and I took a picture of it. the monks said it was kind of odd since they normally don't get cranes that time of year let alone just a single one. So, I happened upon that picture again, and thought it matched Nasami perfectly. So yeah, that's why I wrote it. Hope ya enjoyed!

Again, thanks so much Samuraiko!


	5. Snowman

**A/N:** I fully realize it's only October, but I felt the need to write this. It doesn't snow where I live. It just stays warm or hot. But recently, the last couple of days have actually been cool. It actually felt like it could be fall. To me, that was enough to make me think about even colder weather like Flagstaff...they get snow up there. Not right now, but it does get it eventually...There are only two seasons in my opinion. Summer and winter. Fall and spring last like two weeks and in my book, doesn't qualify as a season. So yes, in a bizarre desire for cold weather and snow, fueled by the oddly cool weather, I wrote this. Enough ranting about AZ weather, on with the story.

I don't own Samurai 7

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"Kyuzo-dono!"

It took all his effort not to cringe when he heard his name called. The silent samurai was currently trying to meditate when an annoyingly familiar voice profaned his honorable name.

"Kyuzo-dono, Kyuzo-dono! It's snowing outside."

He chose to remain silent at the obvious observation. Maybe if he ignored it and left it alone, it would get bored and go away.

"Did you hear me?"

A sword swung through the air and stopped just short of the man's neck.

"I take that as a yes. Come on Kyuzo-dono, everybody is outside enjoying it."

The sword came a little closer to his neck.

"Alright, alright. Just thought I'd tell you."

He turned around and began walking away. Kyuzo kept a single eye open and trained at the figure. As soon as he was sure there was no more sign of magenta hair, he relaxed again. A few minutes later, Kyuzo decided that was about all the meditation he could muster before drifting to sleep. He stood up and stretched. As he opened the door to the outside courtyard, he suddenly became aware of a cold breeze.

"Hey, so you decided to join us?"

Kyuzo turned to face the voices. Outside in the courtyard were the assassins making up Ayamaro's guard. Hyogo was silently sitting on the edge of the wooden walkway while Tessai was sitting right beside him smoking on his pipe. The others were actually in the snow making small balls of the white stuff.

"Think fast!"

On pure instinct, Kyuzo drew one of his swords and slashed at the object of impending doom.

"You suck…"

The fair-haired samurai examined what he so brutally mutilated. Small piles of snow lay around his feet. He glared at the fool who dared to throw something at him.

"You're in trouble now, bandage boy."

The man in question quickly hid his arm behind his back. The other gleefully jumped out of the way as he et Kyuzo stalk up to him. With lightening fast reflexes, the blond samurai grabbed the man's arm and examined it. What would normally harbor small needle projectiles, instead was packed with snow. The rapid-fire-needle-shooter thing in his prosthetic arm was packed with snow. Apparently, the high pressure the gun put out was enough to shoot snow at a good speed.

"Please don't kill me. And if you do, make it quick."

Kyuzo just glared at him for what seemed like hours. After just staring at him and thoroughly disturbing him, Kyuzo let him go and sat beside Tessai and Hyogo.

"…Do it again…I dare you…"

Six words never sounded so fearsome in his entire life. Trying to ignore the pair of crimson eyes boring holes into his back, the man resorted to firing at his other companion. A wad of snow landed right in his single eye.

"Die!"

The assassin that was just attacked extended his mechanical arms and scooped up a large pile of snow.

"Oh crap."

In a quick motion, he dropped the entire pile of snow onto his comrade in arms. He giggled maniacally. Hyogo just shook his head.

"And they call themselves warriors…and assassins…"

He looked over at Kyuzo who was staring off into the distance. He seemed to be studying the snow intently.

"Kyuzo-dono?"

The blond samurai stood up at hearing his name and walked into the open courtyard a distance away from the freakish snowball fight between two freaks. He leaned over and began rolling a ball of snow. Hyogo and Tessai were trying to decide which was more interesting to watch, the snowball fight of freaks or Kyuzo playing in the snow.

"What is Kyuzo-dono making?"

Tessai pointed to the silent samurai in the corner.

"Is he making a snowman?"

Hyogo stared incredulously at the object that Kyuzo was currently manipulating. The single, small pile of snow had grown into a fairly large ball. Sitting on top of it was another slightly smaller ball of snow.

"Great Bishamonten, he is…"

After shaping the balls into the proper shape and size, he began looking around. He walked over to where the two assassins were still trying to clobber each other with snow. First, he went over to the man with the magenta hair and reached into his jacket.

"What the heck you doing?!"

Kyuzo grabbed a set of sharp needles and then walked over to the other. He forcefully yanked on the cloth wrapped around his neck.

"Gah…"

He could not say much as Kyuzo yanked on it quite forcefully and for a few minutes, it restricted his breathing. After commandeering said objects, he walked over to Tessai and pilfered his pipe.

"…My pipe…"

The next person on the list was none other than Hyogo. He calmly took off his glasses and handed them to Kyuzo who silently took them along with his other pilfered goods.

"It's always the silent ones…"

Tessai nodded his head as he reached into his jacket and pulled out another pipe. Hyogo looked over at him wondering why he kept a spare pipe in his jacket. As he wondered he happened to glance over at the snow sculpture Kyuzo was working on.

"That has to be the most disturbing snowman I have ever seen."

Tessai stared at the snowman.

It was the shape of a standard snowman, except the objects making up the parts were odd to say the least. A line of needles were placed into the head forming an odd looking Mohawk. The material was wrapped around the neck like a scarf. The glasses were shoved into the side of the snowman's "face" and a pipe stuck out of its mouth.

"Apparently great swordsmanship is not indicative of artistic talent."

All came to stare and marvel at the freakish creation. After studying it for a while, it did begin to grow on them.

"Well, it's not that bad…"

"Yeah, snowmen have pipes…"

"Can't have a snowman be bald…"

"They need eyes, so maybe they need glasses?…"

"It is chilly out so it would need something like a scarf to keep warm…"

"I think I kind of like it."

Kyuzo walked over to them, looked over his shoulder at the snowmen, and then turned away.

"I want tea."

That was all he said and walked off to go get the warm beverage. The others watched him leave.

"Tea sounds good."

With one final look, they all agreed and took off to join their silent companion.

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**A/N:** It does not end there...I just wanted to end it there before I got to another ending. It wound up a little fluffier than intended. Oh well, not like I actually plan these things out...But I still liked it. I hope you all enjoyed it also! I think I will write a fall one though...Yeah, I got a good idea for that one...

The second ending:

It felt nice to be in the warm room. They were sitting around a table each underneath a heated blanket. Technology was such a wonderful thing. Each of them had a steaming cup of hot green tea. For once, they could all sit quietly and admire the scenery out the window. It remained silent as such until there was an achingly familiar voice in the distance.

"What in the world is _that_ hideous abomination?! Whoever made that has a serious lack of abilities."

Within a milisecond, they were all piled on top of the silent samurai trying to restrain him. Tessai sat on him using his full weight while Hyogo and the others were also on him trying to pry teh twin katana from his hands. They all froze when the door to their room slid open. Ukyo stared at them with a bored expression and flipped his blueberry hair. Speaking of blueberries, Tessai began to wonder if it were possible to get some blueberry pie...

"Sheesh, if you're _that_ cold I'll tell the servants to turn up the heat. Good grief, where's your restraint?"

The door slid shut and they could hear Ukyo's footsteps fade into the distance. Once they were completely gone, they had to begin their struggle to restrain Kyuzo all over again.

And so, the day wore on, the pure white powder fell, and the solitary snowman stood silently under the falling snow.


	6. Festival

**A/N:** Yes, another chapter done! I wrote this for the fall season. Actually, I first thought of the idea when I had planned to go to the full moon viewing festival at this new Japanese friendship garden. However, I did not make it to it since the people I had planned on going with were bogged down with studying and among other things. But, the story lived on. Yes, it is a bit odd, but I enjoyed it. Japan is totally cool in the fall and yes, they do have fall festivals specifically for things like full moon viewing. If you watch enough anime, you get the picture. Anyhoo, just some silly fun. Enjoy!

I don't own S7

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Pale moonlight illuminated a palace courtyard. The full moon cast its pale orange glow upon an small group of people standing around.

"Kyuzo-dono! We're leaving."

Hyogo tapped his foot lightly but impatiently. He and a few others of Ayamaro's guard were waiting for their comrade. The missing individual soon showed up and there was an audible gasp of dismay.

"What on this planet are you wearing?!"

The silent samurai tilted his head questioningly at them and then examined his attire. He saw nothing wrong with it. It was the same red coat with the same twin katana strapped to his back.

"You can't wear that, Kyuzo-dono."

"Why?"

One of the guards with magenta hair strode up and lifted the edges of Kyuzo's red jacket disdainfully.

"Why? We're going to a festival, not a tournament."

"We are protecting our master."

"…"

"It would be better if you were to blend in better. Your outfit…does not blend in."

Tessai wisely intervened and attempted to reason with somebody with as straightforward logic as the fair-haired samurai. Said samurai then reexamined his outfit in comparison to the others.

Each of the assassins wore simple yukata with pale, autumnal colors. The one with magenta hair had a kitsune mask strapped to the side of his head while the others also had various little trinkets and accessories. True, he now realized that he indeed stuck out from the rest, and it did make sense that it would be better not to be noticed and therefore have the element of surprise. Yes, it was brilliant. Then something else dawned on him. He did not own a proper yukata.

"I-"

He was cut off when his companions grabbed him by the arms and dragged him towards the palace. Hyogo and Tessai watched Kyuzo be dressed up like a doll.

"…Brilliant excuse, Tessai-dono. Did you make that up on the spot?"

"Yes. I was concerned that Kyuzo-dono would still argue though. It was good that he didn't."

"Yes, it was."

They stood together in amiable silence. Each one patiently waited for the expected noise to come.

"K-kyuz-dono! I-I-I think it looks fine! Really!!"

Two-strained voices were heard a pair of doors slid open and the two assassins stumbled out into the courtyard. Hyogo and Tessai watched in mild amusement. They peered into the darkness of the inner palace and saw two silver arcs gleam menacingly as the moonlight seeped in and reflected off the cool metallic surface.

"W-we have to go now, so there isn't anyway for you to change…I'm SORRY!!!!"

The two guards cowered behind the other two samurai who grew more curious as to what they had dressed their lethal friend in.

It took every ounce of strength and self-discipline to keep from breaking into hysterical laughter. Hyogo quickly covered his mouth and pretended to have a coughing fit while Tessai forcefully bit down on his pipe.

"Die."

Kyuzo slowly prowled closer allowing the others to get a better look. He was wearing a typical yukata with all the typical clothing accessories. However, the coloring on the yukata was absurd for somebody like Kyuzo.

It was a bright red with an obi in a brilliant purple shade. The design made things gradually worse as bright orange little fish were towards the bottom jumping out of a bright blue watery pattern along the hem. His saya for his swords was tucked through the back of his obi but wrapped around the center of the sheathe was a shiny gold ribbon that tied into an elaborate flower bow. Hanging from beneath the obi was a fluffy kitsune tail tipped in white and to top everything off, Kyuzo also sported a pair of fuzzy golden-yellow fur kitsune ears.

Were it not for the beams of death shooting forth from the samurai's crimson eyes, it would have been pretty cute. Hyogo slapped himself for thinking such a thought. Kyuzo remained as stone-faced as ever, but his breathing looked extremely measured and controlled. Both Tessai and Hyogo swore the ears on top of his head would twitch every now and again in irritation.

"Kyuzo-dono, you look fine. And he's right. It's time to leave now. See? Here comes our lord with his son now."

Hyogo did his best to coax Kyuzo into sheathing his swords and refrain, for the time being, from killing the others.

Ayamaro strode up along with his son Ukyo. He looked them all over and then paused when he looked at Kyuzo.

"My, Kyuzo…You look…great in that…"

The magistrate of Kougakyou quickly nodded his head and then scurried off. As Ukyo passed by he looked Kyuzo from tow to head and smiled.

"You look so cute in that! Who knew a samurai could look that adorable."

There was a visible shudder from Kyuzo.He laughed merrily as he followed his father out the front courtyard. The two assassins that dressed Kyuzo quickly scampered off to get as far away from the silent samurai as possible.

Hyogo and Tessai began to follow the rest of the crowd when they noticed that Kyuzo was not with them.

"Where did…Kyuzo-dono! NO!"

The fair-haired samurai was kneeling on the ground with a tanto blade drawn and pointing at his stomach. It took many minutes of struggling before the two samurai were able to pry the blade away from Kyuzo and prod him along.

He brought up the rear of the pack as they walked down to where a long row of paper lanterns lit up the streets.

The atmosphere at the fall festival was filled with warmth and laughter, cheer and good will. The only exception was Kyuzo who was emanating a large aura of burning anger and hatred at humanity. As they walked through, many of the people would pause and point and whisper when they saw Kyuzo. He sincerely hoped that somebody would try to assassinate Ayamaro just so he could kill something. Heck, he would even step in to protect Ukyo.

"Try to cheer up…or…try to not send a death aura everywhere. You're making the children cry."

Hyogo whispered in Kyuzo's ear though whether or not he heard, was a different story. He, Kyuzo, and Tessai were the first to break from Ayamaro's side. They decided it would be more convenient if they took shifts so as to give enough room, but still be able to move in to protect their master.

The three samurai walked along slowly taking in the sites, sounds, and smells the multiple booths offered. After a while, it seemed that Kyuzo finally calmed down and returned to his standard neutral appearance. As they walked along, a pair of children ran by holding small bags filled with water and a tiny goldfish. The silent samurai watched them curiously and then looked around.

"I'm going to get some takoyaki. Want anything?"

Kyuzo lightly shook his head. Tessai looked around a bit before decidingn on what he wanted.

"Some steamed buns please."

Hyogo nodded and walked off to a side vendor to get the food. While he was waiting in line, Tessai noticed a vendor a short distance away selling various different pipes and the heavens only knew what else.

"I'll be right back. Excuse me, Kyuzo-dono."

He gently bowed his head and made his way over to the pipes. Kyuzo did not seem to notice or care. As he continued scouring the area, he finally found what he was looking for. Without a word, he silently moved in.

"I've got…the food…"

The pale faced samurai came back to the spot where he left his comrades and found the area empty. He looked to the side and noticed Tessai happily walking away from the vendor he was at.

"Here you go."

"Ah, thank you."

"Where's Kyuzo-dono?"

They both stared at each other worriedly. It was not that Kyuzo was some sort of child that they needed to keep an eye on. Well, actually, he was like a child; a very destructive one at that. They prayed to the heavens and Bishamonten that nobody would die tonight as they rushed off to find their companion.

As they briskly walked and scanned the crowds, something caught their attention. There was a large crowd standing around a vendor's cart. Using their super samurai senses, they could detect the ki of their blond friend. They walked over and forcefully pushed their way through the crowd. What they saw was beyond shocking. It was beyond words. It was beyond any of them could eve imagine.

"Bring. It. On."

Kneeling next to a small tub of water filled with hundreds of tiny goldfish was none other than the deadliest, most skilled samurai they had ever known. Squatting right next to him was a small girl who glared menacingly at him. Kyuzo stared just as hard back. They kept staring at each other as they shifted their grips on their wafer paddles and made sure they had a firm hold on their cup.

Tension filled the air as the crowd went silent in anticipation. The two opponents measured each other, attempted to get into the other's head and anticipate the next action. They tensed as the vendor held his hand up.

"GO!"

The minute his hand dropped, Kyuzo and little girl turned their attention to the tub and began rapidly scooping up fish. It was an incredible site to behold for many reasons.

First, whoever heard of such an intense goldfish-scooping contest? Second, whoever heard of such an intense goldfish-scooping contest between a grown man and a small child? Third, whoever heard of such an intense goldfish-scooping contest between a grown man and a small child where the grown man was a samurai dressed like a little kid and the small child looked just as cute? It was madness, simply madness.

The crowd hooted and hollered as they cheered the two on. Hyogo and Tessai remained silent as they munched very slowly on their food. They wondered if they should be amused or just sad, very, very sad.

"And that's the end! Ladies and gentlemen, please stick around to hear the final results!"

The crowd was struck in wonder while the two assassins were struck in shame. The tub was now completely devoid of any fish. It was beyond anybody's comprehension how the two got into the challenge in the first place let alone how they managed to catch all the fish using only one wafer paddle. Tonight's festival would surely go down in history.

"We have the results!"

Everybody was silent in anticipation. Hyogo and Tessai debated whether or not it was better if Kyuzo won or he lost. Either way, the outcome was just as sad.

"It's a tie! These two have managed to catch the same amount of fish! Wonderful! Here's your prize!"

The little girl and Kyuzo took the offered gift and bowed to the vendor. The little girl then turned to the silent samurai and giggled.

"Hey, mister, let's do this again sometime!"

She bowed and then ran off giggling madly. She tucked her prize into her obi and attempted not to spill the large plastic bag filled with goldfish. Kyuzo calmly watched her leave and then he himself too his leave. The crowd dispersed allowing Hyogo and Tessai to join their companion. It was close to their shift so they began to walk back to Ayamaro.

For the first part, they remained in silence. Kyuzo seemed oblivious to anything around him now but the other two were stuck in an awkward silence. Tucked into the back of his obi was a shimmering gold pinwheel that slowly spun in the light breeze. Just like the little girl, Kyuzo also had a fairly large bag filled with tiny goldfish. The other two wondered what he would do with them. For some reason, they could not imagine Kyuzo getting a tank and taking care of them.

"There you are…Been busy, haven't we, Kyuzo?"

Ayamaro eyed the bag of fish with something akin to amusement. The silent samurai simply slipped behind his master and took his normal guard position. The other two followed suit and stood by his side. Fortunately, he was not moving around. The magistrate had settled on a small bench that gave a view of the festival lane.

As they stood there, a suspicious motion caught Kyuzo's eye. Some shady looking individual was pushing their way through the crowd and heading straight for Ayamaro. When h got closer, he charged the magistrate and withdrew a sword.

"Die!!"

He lunged but never made it as a flash of a silver arc stopped him short and stopped him for good. The would-be assassin fell into a heap.

"Kyuzo, thank you so much! Your skill is as impeccable as always!"

The fair-haired samurai bowed and took his place back behind Ayamaro while underlings attempted to drag the body away and convince the crowd that they did not just see a samurai wearing fluffy kitsune ears and carrying a bag of fish cut a man down. They were having difficulty on the second part.

"Tonight was good."

Hyogo stole a glance at his companion when he heard him whisper under his breath. Kyuzo was standing at perfect peace. He seemed absolutely content in holding his bag of fish, glaring at the poor people passing by, and basking in the glory of his kill.

The rest of the evening went by without a hitch. There were no more unnecessary deaths, fish duels or anything else for that matter. At long last, they made it back to the palace and began to go their separate ways. As the assassins began walking away, Ayamaro motioned at Kyuzo.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you keep those fish. Dispose of them."

Kyuzo bowed or rather, tilted his head in acknowledgment and followed his companions. While they went to their rooms and began changing, the silent samurai walked out to the back of the palace grounds. He was undoubtedly going to go throw the fish away in the dumpster that was due to be crushed and sent away tomorrow morning.

He came back shortly thereafter with the same unreadable expression and changed back into his normal attire. After doing as such he leaned against the wall in his room resting his twin katana against his shoulder. Hyogo was glad that Kyuzo did not seem to hold any special attachment to the little fish. He shook his head as he decided that it would be simply foolish for him to think that Kyuzo, the deadly killer, would be attached to the marine life. With his mind at rest, Hyogo also turned in for the night.

Morning came and Hyogo was out walking the grounds as he normally did before reporting in for duty. As he walked along the back of the palace, his eyes locked onto a small garden pond. He walked over and stared at the koi swimming lazily in the water. He recalled the poor goldfish and their untimely death. As he did, he noticed something shiny in the water. Upon closer inspection, he saw a tiny fish swimming in between the koi. Soon after, he saw another one and then another. Before he knew it, the pond was filled with tiny little goldfish.

"Unbelievable…"

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**A/N:** What did you think? Oh as far as Kyuzo's outfit goes and why he was so mad and everybody else was so amused, that is a bit of a cultural thing. The older you get, the more pale and muted colors you wear in yukata and kimono. So, Kyuzo was probably a little irked that he had something so birghtly colored and with such a childish design. Not to mention the little kitsune gear. By the way, a kitsune is a fox. They're really popular in myths and is common for people to wear things like masks or sometimes ears. So yeah, Kyuzo looked like a little kid. The coloring scheme was actually inspired by some Japanese fanart where there's the cutest little Kyu-chan you ever saw sitting on the railing of a bridge, eating cotton candy, and wearing those colors and kitsune gear. Obscenely cute.

Anyways, I think I covered the cultural stuff, but if not let me know if you have questions. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!


	7. 1000

**A/N:** Yes, another chapter. This one is serious folks. Yup, I had been thinking about this one for a while. I almost never write this serious or this deeply...So, my apologies if it comes off as weird. My mind is weird if you haven't already noticed. However, I quite enjoyed writing this one. I actually put real thought into it...Funny what happens when you actually access your brain's abilities...Anyhoo, please enjoy!

I don't own S7

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_1000 days that pass…_

The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the screen door leading to the outside garden. The occupant of the room stirred in his sleep until he was awake. Stretching out his limbs, he stood up languidly and listened. The only noise was the first chirps of the birds starting the day and the menial workers getting ready.

Quickly folding up his bedding, he quickly got dressed and ran his hand through is short blonde hair. Walking over to a corner, he grabbed his neatly folded jacket and slipped it onto his slim frame. Then, he attached the sheathe containing his twin katana on the belt that hung loosely on his hips. Satisfied, he slid open the door to the garden and stepped out.

Taking a deep breath, he softly made his way to his master's location.

_1000 faces to see…_

"Kyuzo-dono."

Another man caught up to him and began walking beside him. Kyuzo nodded his head once to acknowledge the other's presence.

"Hyogo-dono."

The words were soft and deep. Nothing else was ever spoken between the two as they walked together in silence.

As they kept walking, more faces began to appear and soon a small group of assassins paraded their way to their master.

Sitting casually at a large table was the lord and master of Kougakyou, Ayamaro. Kyuzo lightly bowed his head as he stopped and knelt to the side of his master. On the magistrate's other side was his son lounging on his side while courtesans draped themselves all over him.

"Well, if it isn't the great samurai. What's the matter? Are you upset at being reduced to a lapdog, great samurai?"

"Ukyo, you should not say such things. These men are the very ones who protect you."

"Whatever. Really though, the only one who actually is around would be Tessai."

At the mentioning of his name, the somewhat short and squat man bowed his head while lightly gnawing at the end of his pipe.

"I don't see the need for such frivolous things now, father."

_1000 actions that could be…_

Kyuzo remained neutral in his expression as always. However, as he listened to the conversation between father and son, he shut his eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths.

He was samurai. Samurai fought and died. The dead no longer were, and the living now scratch out their lives doing whatever they can. No longer is honor upheld, no longer is there battle. For now, the age of warring, the age of samurai, was over. The new age was upon the world. This new age, dealing with deceit and power where bushido is scorned. It was now an age of merchants.

"I will be quite busy today with affairs. An imperial envoy is to be expected later today. I will only need Hyogo. Tessai, would you accompany Ukyo? I was told he had plans to go out today."

"Of course, my lord."

He bowed his head while Ukyo scoffed.

"Why do you keep so many around, father? They," He jerked his head in Kyuzo's direction, "Are worthless. What do they even do?"

The silent samurai clenched his jaw together and subtly clenched the material of his jacket in his fists. There was once a time when even their masters respected the skills and honor of the samurai that served them. Now, the spoiled quickly forget that their guards they keep around have the ability to kill them in a blink of an eye. The samurai have the ability but do not act on it. That is why they are samurai and are so great among men.

_1000 words unspoken…_

"It's a good thing you remain so tight lip, Kyuzo-dono. What's the young master got against you anyways?"

The guards and assassins not required at the moment were casually lounging in a large room. Kyuzo sat quietly in the corner with his sword leaning against his shoulder.

They would jest at his silence, but to speak would be pointless. If they were even once samurai, they had long forgotten the ways of a samurai. There were even some Nobuseri who remembered the ways of old.

Kyuzo knew he was different. He was still samurai. That was why Ukyo singled him out. For the seemingly dense, superfluous outside, the young lord was quite perceptive. However, to speak would serve him no purpose. Any words of insight would be lost upon those ears deaf to the code of bushido. Now, they only heard the money of the merchants and abandoned their identity.

_1000 paper cranes…_

With precise and methodic motions, Kyuzo deftly manipulated the small, colorful piece of paper. A fold here and a fold there, and soon, it became a beautiful orange crane.

"You know, if you make 1000 paper cranes, they say your wish will be granted."

Kyuzo ignored the comments of those fools passing by. Instead, he examined the object in his hand.

The crane was perfectly shaped. There was not an extra crease or wrinkle anywhere. It was perfect.

He held it up in the palm of his hand and let the sunlight filter around and through it. This was one of his best. Satisfied with his work, the silent samurai stood up and walked to the small space he called his room.

It was in the corner away from anything so it was dark. Barely any light made its way through the screen door. It was just how he liked it. Kneeling down, he opened a box hidden in the darkest corner. With great care, he set the crane down. It sat perfectly on top of its brethren. Cranes of all colors flooded out of the box and spilled onto the floor. Still, his perfect one remained sitting at the top.

"1000."

_A single wish fulfilled…_

Kyuzo gently touched the fresh cut along his neck. As he reminisced about his fight, the others' comments faded away.

That one they called Shimada Kambei was the one he had sought out since the wars ended. He was samurai. He was one worthy of Kyuzo's skill and worthy to be slain by his sword. Samurai lived to fight, lived to die.

Here now was his wish. The plight of a village meant nothing to him, as the jaded samurai was his only concern. The days passed quickly and Kyuzo's mind never drifted away from his glorious battle. Even with the death of the imperial envoy, he still remained fixated on Kambei.

He was what Kyuzo desired, that skill that enraptured him. To kill or be killed by what could be considered one of the few remaining samurai was far too appealing. This is what he wanted. There was no hatred, no malice that he felt, but rather, pure energy coursing through his body.

"Kyuzo-dono. We are heading out to the cave exit of the Shikimoribito. The rogue samurai the peasants hired are going to be there."

Never had he been so thrilled at the news that his companion delivered to him. Now, he no longer needed to wait. It was now that his fate would change and lead him forward on the great path of the samurai once again, one that he so desired.

As he prepared to leave his room and accompany Hyogo, Kyuzo paused when his sharp eye caught a flash of color in the corner. He could not help the small smirk that crept along his face.

Sitting with all its perfection was a single orange crane.

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**A/N:** How was it? The whole paper crane part stepped into the symbolism department. So no, I did not randomly pick out orange and what not. There is meaning behind it. It is generally associated with desire, people who desire all things that offer intense living and getting the full experience. Orange generates an impulse towards active doing such as competition and struggle. And there you have it, a tidbit of info from a rice ball...Don't you feel special now? I certainly do. I managed to make it serious. Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!!


	8. Foe

**A/N: **Egads, sorry for the late update! Tests are a pain in the rearside...especially when all the teachers throw them at you on the same day...Oh well, I finally got around to writing something other than theses and research papers. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

I don't own S7

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A deathly silence fell, blanketing the room with a suffocating air of tension. Sets of eyes peered maliciously at their prey, plotting their next move. Oh, it was a tricky one this time. It was the thrill of the hunt.

Their prey, calm despite the odds, stood stoically in the center. His red jacket was slightly askew while his blonde hair was a little disheveled. However, his expression remained neutral though his crimson tinted eyes quickly flicked back and forth analyzing the situation.

Kyuzo was surrounded. He was one while they were many. Though outnumbered, his determination did not waver. Any fear he felt, he kept skillfully hidden. The minute his enemy caught wind of any hints of anxiety, they would be merciless.

Never had the crimson samurai been placed in such a precarious situation. Kyuzo adjusted his stance so he could leap out of harm's way in an instant. The subtle movement caused the surrounding enemy to twitch in anticipation.

This would have to be played out carefully. One false step and it would be the end. Kyuzo ran through the multiple options playing each one out and weighing the consequences. No matter which way he looked at it, the situation was grim. Therefore, he decided on the least damaging option. At least, it was the least damaging physically. How his psyche would fare, well, that was left up to the imagination.

"I…concede."

In an instant, eight bodies flung themselves at Kyuzo screaming in their excitement. To struggle would be futile. He merely surrendered his being to let his enemy do as they wished.

"If you would have said that earlier, you could have avoided such…pitiful events, Kyuzo-dono."

The silent samurai stared at his companion who had given in long ago. Hyogo patiently endured the current mode of torture.

"There. Now you look all pretty!"

Three small girls were giggling like mad as they admired their handiwork. Hyogo's hair was now in multiple braids with ribbons and trinkets sticking in them. Other parts of his hair were pulled into little ponytails held in place by decorative hair ties.

Kyuzo was appalled at how easily his partner obeyed the commands of their tiny captors. At least, he had gone down with a fight. He made them work for what they wanted.

"Let's play house!"

"Nuh-uh! He's gonna play bandits with us!"

He was jerked back and forth as a set of female monsters pulled hard on his right arm while the male versions held fast to his left. Kyuzo remained lying on the floor since two little children decided he would make a comfortable chair. Regardless, Kyuzo had never experienced such trying situations.

And this is how the day continued to progress. The stoic samurai discovered that he would never win against the children. They would always inexplicably find a method to force him to succumb to their wishes.

If he was not trying to convince one that he was not at the square with his wife and baby, he was attempting to explain, in minimum words, why the numbers zero and eleven were not numbers within the given range of one to ten. Then, he had to explain that lemons are not orange, nor are they pink, and oranges were the color of, well, orange. Try explaining that one to a child six years of age. Kyuzo discovered that it does not go well.

"Good. They are finally asleep…Hmm, I thought the day would never end. How about you, Kyuzo-dono?…Kyuzo-dono…Hello?"

The blond samurai had a slightly dazed look in his eye as he stared blankly at the sleeping children. A faint twitch, one that seemed to develop over the course of the day, flickered under his weary eyes.

"Ah good, the other caretakers are here. Let us go."

Hyogo had to gently grab the edge of Kyuzo's sleeve to get him to start walking away. It was not until after the cool air brushed against his face did the silent samurai seem to regain his senses.

"Why…"

"The visiting nobles would expect their children to be well looked after during their stay. Our master wished us to be there in order to show his concern over their welfare."

"What about our welfare?"

"We are samurai."

Ah yes, that wonderful sentence that summarized the entirety of his life. How little did he know that, until this day, that it could be so difficult.

"Only you were needed."

There was a hint of accusation laced in Kyuzo's voice. His companion merely shrugged.

"Misery loves company, Kyuzo-dono. At least you had enough sense not to draw your katana on them."

"I should have."

"You don't mean that."

"…"

"Come now, you were once a child…Okay, perhaps not. Never mind…We are not needed for anything else. Just go to bed already."

Kyuzo needed no other to tell him such. As soon as he got into his room, he pulled off his jacket, and not bothering with anything else, flopped face first onto his bed.

He could not say, nor would he ever if it were true, that he was anything like the little banshees in that room today. Never had he dealt with so many children at once. One here, one there, nothing he could not handle or scare. No, these ones flocked to him, stalked him, and painfully pulled on him.

As he mulled through the events, a small ghost of a smile graced his features. Despite their tendency towards violence and their ever need of attention, the little devils had their moments.

Whether it was the way any little thing he did was the greatest thing in the world, or that they were still so innocent and naïve, he could not help the small tinge of enjoyment. For once, living beings, of their own volition, embraced him as if they had known him all their short lives.

Kyuzo remembered the way they trailed behind him, looking up at him with such open-eyed admiration and how, before they went to bed, each one hugged him soundly before lying in their beds.

He decided that he should not be involved, for any long period of time, with a child or anything resembling such. They were loud, impatient, and always thought they were right. However, they had their moments.

Kyuzo admitted that, yes, they were kind of sweet and even cute, but would he ever admit that aloud? No way in the layers of hell. Regardless, he was content with keeping it to himself. Something special like that was rare and he planned on cherishing it for as long as he could.

And nobody needs to know that either.

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**A/N:** The part, starting at the being seen with wife and child, are all actual events I went through...except the kid thought I was at the park with my husband and baby...No matter how many times I told the kid otherwise, that's what he thought...Mind you, I worked with these kindergardeners my senior year in high school...I don't even have nor want a boyfriend...let alone a husband...one day, yes...right now, no. Also, the whole color of the citrus and numbers was a wonderful experience. I didn't know whether I was sad or amused when the boy told me that lemons were orange...then I corrected him and then I asked him what color lemonade was...pink...of course little kids drink pink lemonade...No, I don't particularly care for spending long periods of time with children, but I admit that they have cute moments. And then, spending that period with them was worth it...So yes, wonderfully fluffy ending Kyuzo style.

Can you seriously imagine Kyuzo with a legion of kindergardeners? Yeah, roll through that one for a while. Whatever the case, I hope you all enjoyed!


	9. Accident

**A/N:** Ah-ha, I return. Yes, I kind of forgot about this one...My bad. Anyways, not a very long one and not very serious. As a side note, I decided to name the guy with magenta hair Bogan and the guy that wears a metal bowl on his head with a sensor, Sensa. I'm uncreative and those are the names given by the show. Obviously, they were going for Bow Gun Man and Sensor Man. I wasn't about to be _that_ uncreative and decided to write their names as they appear in katakana. That was my justification. So, without further ado, please enjoy.

I do not own S7.

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The halls of the palace were silent. Chirping crickets and the occasional buzzing of a cicada were the only noises to break the silence. The imperial magistrate of Kougakyo was making his yearly visit to the capital taking a handful of his assassins and bodyguards with him leaving the palace filled with nothing but the various servants and those assassins who remained.

A scream suddenly echoed from somewhere within the palace walls followed by the soft yet rapid footsteps. The man was running as quietly as he could in order to devoid detection. There was a whirl as something grazed by his head. Ducking his head and swerving while silently cursing, the man on the run began zig-zagging around the large outdoor garden.

He was followed by more footsteps and more things rushing past his body as he danced around any impending objects. Seeing a large tree to the side, he quickly made a powerful leap into the tree and held his breath. His pursuer paused as he approached the tree realizing that his target must be hiding somewhere. Fully confident in his position, the attacker called out to his target.

"Come out, come out wherever you are! I know you're hiding somewhere, Bogan-dono."

The man in the tree remained silent. There were multiple trees in the vicinity and he was positive he could not be seen even with his brightly colored hair. He studied the individual below him in an attempt to formulate a plan of attack.

Bogan had the disadvantage of not having a special sensor like the other. His pursuer kept a large, dome-like piece of metal on his head that contained a highly tuned sensor designed to analyze and pick up any targets. Not much time was left so he took the opportunity to use the element of surprise.

Leaping out of the tree, the magenta haired warrior extended his arm revealing that it was in fact prosthetic and a small opening appeared on the bottom of his wrist revealing a bow gun. Aiming for his target, he let loose the projectiles kept within his arm forcing the other to dodge around and retreat. He took the time to ditch his opponent. Another of his disadvantage was that his opponent not only had a sensor, but long extending arms. However, he had a long-distance weapon ideal for taking out his attacker.

Maneuvering around various objects, Bogan continued to look back and fire off another projectile. Too caught up in his attempt to escape, he almost ran into another with a sword. He had to dive to the side in order to avoid it. In the time it took for him to regain his footing, the original attacker had caught up.

"No more running now!"

"I don't need to Sensa-dono...I've got you where I want you!"

With a whirl of speed, Bogan jumped into the air and fired off more from his bow gun. The other two had to quickly move out of the way. As they scrambled for cover, Bogan ran into the palace sliding the door shut behind him. He took a moment to catch his breath and plan another attack.

However, his respite was short lived when the two came charging into the room.

"You were careless!"

He cursed to himself at now being caught in close quarters. In a quick analysis of the situation, he determined that all of them were actually at a disadvantage being in a smaller room instead of outdoors.

They stood facing each other in a stare down. The silence and tension was thick in the air and in an instant, they dove at each other. Long arms reached out for him while a blade came rushing down creating a catastrophic three-way. Bogan rolled to the side while firing projectiles here and there.

However, as he did, the door to the room suddenly opened and before anybody could do anything, one of his bow gun projectiles hit the person standing in the doorway.

"Oh...crap..."

The person in the doorway was no other than their fellow assassin, Kyuzo. The door slid open a little further revealing the other two, Hyogo and Tessai as well.

"'Oh crap' indeed..."

Hyogo turned his head to see the damage. The silent samurai stood stoically with the same blank, uncaring expression. The pale samurai pursed his lips as he reached over and gently pulled off a sticky dart from Kyuzo's forehead. Tessai just sighed and shook his head while Hyogo held the offending little object questioningly.

"W-we d-didn't expect you all to be back so soon..."

Bogan brushed a few stray strands of magenta hair from his face while he looked over at his partner in crime.

"I-it was just a little fun. That's all. You know, to stay sharp and practice..."

His metallic arm scratched sheepishly at the back of his neck while the third just stood silently and nodded in agreement.

"...Let's practice then..."

Kyuzo's voice betrayed no emotion though the deep, penetrating stare he gave each of them was enough to freeze the blood in their veins. The blond samurai's hand drifted to the hilt of one of his swords while the other gently slid the door shut leaving Hyogo and Tessai to themselves.

"Would you care for some tea, Tessai-dono?"

"That would be nice."

They walked off leaving Kyuzo to punish the insolent wretches as he saw fit. Now the sounds were ones of screams and pleading.

"IT WASN'T ON PURPOSE!!!"

"UWAAAAA!!! KYUZO-DONO!! WE WERE USING FAKE WEAPONS!!!"

"IT WAS ONLY A STICKY DART!!!"

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**A/N: **You do not know how much sticky darts rule. Anyways, I got this idea when I was talking with my brother and we reminisced about the times when we were young and would play this game at night with our father. We turned out the lights and each took a Nerf gun (Nerf, that's a funny word when you think about it). Then, we prowled around the house trying to shoot each other. I don't know why I imagine these bad guys doing something like that, but then again, what else do they do with their time when they aren't bullying people for Ayamaro? Oh right, and Kyuzo wouldn't care because Kyuzo is apparently quite vindictive. Whatever the reasoning behind the oddness, I do hope you all enjoyed.


	10. Hug

**A/N:** Haha, an update for Valentine's Day. Yes, it is a special story for a special day...Well, maybe not. It was actually inspired by a picture I drew last year with Kyuzo, Tessai, Hyogo, Bowgun Man, and Sensor Man with Sensor Man giving a big hug to all of them. Mind you, it's all in chibi/super deformed style. It's cute actually. You can see it on Deviant Art along with my few other Samurai 7 pics. URL: http://schwarzerDASHdracheDOTdeviantartDOTcomFORWARDSLASHgallery

Replace the "DASH" and "DOT" with the actual symbol. It's one of the variations I have on my computer. Yeah, I'm not that good at drawing, but I do enjoy it, just like writing. So, without much else to say, on with the show.

I don't own S7

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It was disgusting really. The obscene amount of sugar was enough to send any person into diabetic shock. Kyuzo studied the brightly wrapped little candies littering his room. There was barely any space for him to walk. He silently cursed the lack of some sort of locks on the room's door. He was just relieved of his guard duty and figured the little imps sneaked in some time during his service.

"Wow Kyuzo-dono, you must be very popular with the ladies."

Another guard, Bogan, one with magenta hair to match the accursed holiday, waltzed over to look over the blond samurai's shoulder. He casually rested his arm on the other while smirking. It earned him a swift knock on the head.

"Ow! Apparently somebody doesn't care for today. Sheesh. Well, if you're not going to do anything with it, bring it on over to our resting area. Everybody else has brought there's. We're pooling it together just for kicks."

Speaking of kicks, Kyuzo had the sudden urge to kick something. Seemingly able to read his mind, the other assassin slowly backed away with his hands up in defense. One final glare and he was running back to the others.

Letting out a small sigh, Kyuzo artfully hopped around the room, dodging boxes, bags, and other nuisances, until he reached one of the corners where some of the bedding was kept. He nudged some of the candies away so that he could lay out one of the blankets. He then began tossing each and every object onto the blanket. After a few minutes, Kyuzo managed to gather all the candy and create an overstuffed sack. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and began walking towards where he knew the other guards and assassins would be all the while grumbling about how candy managed to be this heavy.

A few glares and sighs later, the silent samurai finally arrived at his destination. He slid open the door and practically threw the sack into the room surprising the occupants.

"How did _you_ get this much?! What do women see in you?"

Kyuzo just shrugged at his companion's remark. It was truly beyond him though he had his hunches, but it was not like the others needed to know. He simply took a seat next to the only other person he could generally tolerate. Hyogo adjusted his glasses as he looked over at Kyuzo.

"Kyuzo-dono, you don't look very happy. Most men would be flattered to have so many women."

"Flattery is for the weak and foolish."

"...Yes...I suppose you would say that..."

The others in the room snickered at Kyuzo's straight forward and serious logic on the matter.

"Those are all Kyuzo-dono's?"

Tessai, Ukyo's bodyguard, entered and sat next to Kyuzo. He had a few boxes of candy and threw them in the now freakishly large pile of sweets. Bogan gave him a lopsided grin.

"Didn't get too many, huh?"

Tessai merely smoked his pipe in his best attempt to ignore the others. While attempting to block out the others, a long mechanical arm patted him on the shoulder. Sensa grinned sympathetically or mockingly (one could never tell since half his face was covered by a giant metal bowl).

"Don't worry Tubby-dono. We still love you."

Another wave of snickers erupted from the group of assassins as Tessai crossed his arms and began puffing furiously on his pipe.

"I'm not fat. I'm just big-boned and stocky."

"Right."

This time it was full blown laughter at poor Tessai's expense.

"Hmph, at least I won't have to give that much back come next month."

Tessai subtly grinned triumphantly when the others shut up and looked around at each other. He relished the silence his comment brought on. There was no way he was going to let them go after called him tubby.

"Huh, so what about Kyuzo-dono? What's he gonna do?"

"Probably nothing since he never does anything."

"Why not?"

The silent samurai shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"Why should I?"

"Well, they did give you something."

"I did not ask for it."

"That's why it's a gift."

"Then why should I be required to give something in return?"

Hyogo opened his mouth to say something, but after a few seconds, he shut it since he had nothing to say to that. Actually, none of the others really knew how to respond. They had never thought about it too deeply before. Leave it to Kyuzo to make a point and then kill the mood. They all sat there and just wondered how he could be so apathetic when he clearly had so many admirers. Then again, this was Kyuzo; he seemed fairly apathetic to most things not involving sword fights and killing other samurai.

"Well, I don't know about Kyuzo-dono, but I'm going to be the gentleman and at least try and give the women something. Besides, there's a certain someone I have my eye on."

As to prove his point, Sensa adjusted the lens in his single mechanical eye to show how he could focus in on something. The others just snorted or rolled their eyes. Bogan shook his head and leaned forward plucking a small pink box off the pile.

"Well now, let's see what we've got."

He dumped out the contents of the box and studied the tiny objects. Little pastel colored hearts with simple messages rolled onto his palm. Popping one in his mouth, he grinned and began tossing some of the hearts to the others. A single pink heart landed on Kyuzo's lap who tentatively picked it up and examined it.

"U R Sweet"

Deciding to ignore the snickering from the others, Kyuzo sniffed at it once and then put it into his mouth. Since he never really had tried one, he figured now was as good a time as ever. However, once it stayed on his tongue a few minutes, the silent samurai grimaced and stuck out his tongue with the heart stuck to it. The abominable little sweet made his stomach churn. He wondered how and why a piece of candy could be made of pure sugar and dye, yet have the taste and texture of a antacid. Both were sickeningly chalky substances unfit for human consumption. Glancing at the others, Kyuzo was surprised to see the others eating theirs. In order to get it off his tongue, he quickly grabbed the nearest package and ripped it open, dumping the contents on his lap and spitting out the candy into the bag.

"What's the matter? How can you not like those?"

Kyuzo's eye twitched ever so slightly when Bogan asked that and popped a whole handful in his mouth. The blond samurai just shook his head and looked at what was on his lap. A few red lollipops wrapped in clear plastic seemed harmless enough. Picking one up, he carefully undid the wrapper and licked it once. From his initial test, everything seemed clear. He then stuck the whole thing in his mouth and sucked on it. For once, Kyuzo was actually pleased with the candy and he continued to keep it in his mouth as he ran his tongue over it.

"Huh, go figure. Kyuzo-dono likes suckers."

As the others were commenting on their comrades choice of candy, Sensa was slowly and cautiously extending his arm across the floor. A short distance away, Tessai had set down his pipe in order to partake of the sugary goodness. Not paying attention to it at the moment, he was oblivious to Sensa dumping crystalline powder from a small paper straw into his pipe.

"Hm, I doubt any of us will be able to eat dinner. Kyuzo's already on his second one."

Tessai sagely nodded his head and reached for his pipe. Upon lifting it to his mouth, he noticed that the contents were not lit. Pulling out a match from his jacket, he struck the match and lit his pipe. He huffed and puffed on it a few times as he stubbed the match's flame. As he did however, he suddenly needed to cough and wheeze as something managed to get inhaled that was not his normal stuff. It was disgustingly sweet and seemed to coat his entire mouth with an odd texture.

"What...the..."

"So you really can smoke sugar sticks."

"Curse you..."

He continued to wheeze while Sensa and the others began howling in laughter. Even Hyogo cracked an amused smile. The only person who did not seem to notice or care was Kyuzo who was still occupied with the lollipops.

"Aw, it was just a joke, Tubby-dono! No hard feelings. Do you need a hug?"

Sensa made the motion of hugging earning him a glare from Tessai as he stood up and attempted to leave the room before anything else detrimental to his health occurred. However, before he could leave, he noticed mechanical arms encircling him and the others as well.

"Don't feel bad. Feel glad! How about it?"

Everybody was suddenly wrapped by the two arms and pulled together into a closely packed group. Bogan managed to slip an arm out and attempted to use his bowgun while Tessai was still trying to escape. Hyogo just glared, showing how much he disapproved of the situation and Kyuzo remained neutral as ever since he seemed to be placated by the lollipops. It proved to be an odd spectacle and the instigator of the action was sure to suffer for it later, but in the moment, it was as much fun as could be and that was more than worth it.

"Group hug!"

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**A/N:** Warning, do not smoke Pixie Sticks. My friend did and apparently it was fun for a few minutes, but then she felt bad afterwards. It's actually qutie impressive what you can do with those. My other friend attempted to snort it and well, let's just say that snorting or smoking anything is bad.

Poor Tessai. I pick on him a lot. I really do like him, I just can't help but make fun of him. One of my friends asked why a tubby Russian dude was a samurai. She apparently came up with Russian because of his hat. From then on, I realized how easy it was to poke fun at him. Right, anyways, just in case you missed something in the last one, Bogan is the name I chose for teh Bowgun man. Same goes with Sensa. It's teh Sensor Man character. I just took their katakana names and wrote them out like they were pronounced. And yes, there will be a White Day story next month. So, I hope you enjoyed this and Happy Valentine's Day!


	11. Lollipop

**A/N:** I think hates me. It never lets me post anything. Anyways, here is the next chapter that was supposed to be up on the 14th for White Day. Oh well, at least it's up. I'm not sure about this one as my mind has kind of been in this horrible little haze induced by spectroscopy...but I enjoyed it. And I still think those cherry or whatever artifically flavor those heart shaped lollipops are the tastiest thing aside from chocolate. Oh crumbs...I want both now...

I don't own S7...Enjoy!

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The palace walls echoes with the sounds of giggling courtesans and whatever other women-things Ukyo kept around. Many of the women were holding dainty little packages wrapped in pretty, pastel ribbons. It was obvious what was in them, but they would still giggle and coo over the little chocolates or sweets they were given.

"I love White Day."

"It has to be one of the greatest days."

"Giving candy to all those men was totally worth it just to get a little attention from them!"

Random guards and assassins would offer a sideways smile to them as they walked passed eliciting another wave of coquettish giggling.

"You know, I can't really complain about this day."

One guard, Tessai, cheerily puffed on his pipe as he offered a light nod to a passing woman who in turn blushed and lo and behold, giggled.

"Even you get attention, Tessai-dono."

"…What are you implying Hyogo-dono?"

"Nothing at all."

His companion adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and offered his own head nod to a passing woman. As they approached the main chambers of Ukyo, they found some of their companions already mingling with the plethora of females littering the young lord's room.

One had his long mechanical arms extended and wrapped around a large group of blushing women while another playfully fingered a woman's long hair.

"Kyuzo-dono is not with you?"

The one with mechanical arms managed to turn his attention away long enough to focus his single camera/eye/spyglass thing on the metallic dome he called his head.

"Hm, I haven't seen him all day. I wonder what he's up to?"

"He does understand White Day, right?"

Hyogo nodded his head and looked around.

"Yes, we explained it to him on Valentine's Day and I made him aware of it earlier this week."

"Who said you could paw at _my_ beautiful ladies?"

All the guards and ladies looked towards the door to find the young lord with his blueberry hair standing in the doorway with hands on his puffy pant hips. He tapped a foot impatiently while he waited for the two to untangle themselves from the throng of women.

"Where is that out-dated samurai?"

"We are unsure of that my lord."

Tessai bowed his head respectively as he stood by Ukyo's side. The young master flipped his hair and settled himself between a couple of women. They eagerly began pawing at him.

"He better get here soon since I-"

Ukyo was interrupted when something landed on his head.

"What was that?"

He shook his head and something small and hard fell off. Picking it off the ground, he found the object to be a heart shaped sucker.

"Be Mine?"

All heads looked upwards and immediately regretted it as a sudden downpour of lollipops rained from the ceiling. Many of the women squealed in surprise as some got stuck in their hair or rebounded off somebody else's head. Ukyo was currently yelling at somebody to do something.

"He didn't…"

Tessai calmly puffed his pipe as he assessed the lollipop damage. It finally stopped and many of the women were now squealing in delight at literally being showered with candy.

"He did…"

Hyogo just adjusted his glasses some more and grabbed a lollipop off of Tessai's hat, pulled off the wrapper and shoved it in his mouth.

"Huh…I see why Kyuz-dono likes these."

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**A/N:** Good grief I'm a loser. Oh well, Kyuzo doesn't actually show up though his handiwork does. Just something short and sweet(?)...Whatever the case may be, I do hope you all enjoyed it. I think the next one will be about heat...because the heat here is just wrong...It's spring and the temperatures are in the 90's...Gotta love AZ...Anyhoo, thanks for reading!


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